Mental condition is even more important. Advising a team It would be essential to make sure we set obtainable goals and build on small successes to minimize letdowns. If the mental side Is solid, my bet is that no matter the outcome all will bring home awesome memories & experience.
In my opinion, this is a big one ^^^^. They can be physically fit and think they are ready, but if they are not mentally tough and ready, this trip could be disappointing, and might become an ordeal for someone. It can be easy to feel snakebit, get discouraged, and want to just pack it in, if you are not finding elk or getting a shot even when you are pouring in the effort, but that is not often how you get elk. They may have to tough it out to the last afternoon.
Other important points are making sure they can find their way around, and
back to where they need to be. You might be in pretty big area compared to the deer hunting areas to which they are accustomed. It is a different feeling, as confirmed by some with deer hunting only background I have taken after elk in CO, MT, and WY backcountry.
Do have a plan for getting meat out if/when successful. To bring back a discussion from a few years ago, it is not just distance, but elevation gain and loss when packing out meat that adds a lot to the effort needed. You will have a group, and if they all pitch in it will go easily. If it is just one or two guys, it becomes a lot of work, especially with mileage. Boning does reduce the load. For every trip it is 2X mileage, and often a lot of elevation gain and loss. They need to be prepared for that. At least in CO you don't have griz, so it may not be necessary to carry everyone's rifles in and out each trip. One tip: having a couple walking sticks, even if just branches picked up, can make the pack out easier by adding a little arm strength to the packing, but also helping to keep from rolling an ankle or twisting a knee under load. Not bucking a joint or falling under a load is a good thing. Possibly this sounds more important as we get older, but why ruin a joint at 20-something and pay for it for decades? Voice of experience...
Have a plan for getting gear dry if there is a fire ban and an open fire is the way you intended to stay warm and dry things out. Not sure what you have for tents and/or possibly wood stoves for heat. A stove sure makes a tent nicer in bad weather. A nice sheepherder's (collapsible) stove with a spark arrestor is normally allowed in the National Forest. There are also little buddy heaters,etc, though not as good.
If you are not hauling all your water, make sure you purify your drinking water to avoid gerardia or other issues.
A good first aid kit with not just Bandaids, but larger bandages, antibiotic, benedril, tweezers, eye wash, aspirin/advil/ibuprophen, A bit of quickclot could be a lifesaver that hopefully will never be needed. Also include a set of clear safety glasses for wood splitting, we have had near misses which could have ruined a trip. A box of nitrile gloves that can protect hands for many uses, including field dressing and quartering/boning. They save a lot of little nicks that can infect later. Needle and thread, plus patch material in case of torn clothing, as well as a big roll of Duct tape which can be used for a lot of stuff from bandages and splints to taping your boot back together or patching pants.
It sounds like it will be a great trip!
